Chapter Text
| • Las Vegas, Nevada, United States • |
Monday| ☀️
a.s.s. (always silly season)
8:07 P.M.MDT
Jack
@Alex @Logan Great engagement stats you two! Your latest Team Torque podcast with Ray is now past 300K views!
Alex
Wow, I’ve checked it out for myself and it really is over 300K.
Logan
Over 300K? It’s just been two days… wtf?
Zhou
I mean Ray’s super popular at the moment thanks to Cadillac’s MMD-esque trailer for the Las Vegas race. The Team Torque podcast was uploaded at the right time – it’s getting recommended to those who watched Cadillac’s latest videos.
Jack
In short, there’s some media synergy going on. I guess it also helps that Williams’ driver guest on their podcast played that music game and hit all 1100 notes at the start of the video…
Ray
HAVE YOU BEEN NAUGHTY OR NICE? 🗣🗣🗣 The fact that I had to get the event Tomoya card for multiple copies of that points Rinne card. 😭
Zhou
Is he (Rinne) your fave in EnStars?
Ray
I am fond of Rinne, but Koga is my fave. He loves his guitar like I do, he’s a dog person (to the point dogs naturally go near him) and he has the messy silver/platinum hair color I tend to gravitate to with anime men.
George
@Liam When you began dating Ray, did you also know you were going to compete with fictional 2D characters?
Liam
Bro, when you’re in a relationship with an otaku, expect them to mention at how hot/cute/dorky their faves are. In my mind, I knew that’s part of the package if I go out with him.
Logan
@Ray Why’d you choose that song for the Team Torque podcast?
Ray
Rinne, the guy with red hair, is a gambler in the game. Since we’re in Vegas, I might as well play a song that features him in the center. He’s also one of the most popular characters in Ensemble Stars – it’s pretty hard to get merch of him.
Zhou
The Williams fan who requested for Ray to play a crazy EnStars beatmap while both Logan and Alex watched was a real one. ❤️
Alex
Seeing his eye-hand coordination being used like that was mind-blowing.
Oscar
When Lan and I were with Zak yesterday, we all watched that 3D animated video Cadillac did right before our meeting on this TV…
Oscar
Since that short Cadillac MV managed to pull in 12 million views in just a week (which is obviously a big number), Zak suggested to me and Lando should try out what they did.
Logan
I love ya buddy, but tell Zak I do not want to hear you or your boyfriend sing. Neither of you are Ray or Ryu, plus McLaren isn’t Cadillac.
Charles
@Ray @Ryu What song was that anyway?
Ryu
It’s from this! WHITE NIGHT // Honkai Star Rail – YouTube.com
Ray
We had to ask for permission from the devs in China and the singer himself ofc. After that, the team had to do their own mix then I had to record my voice singing the lyrics.
L
Ryu
Compare it to this if you guys can!
Ryu
Las Vegas Grand Prix Special Animation // Cadillac Formula One Team – YouTube.com
Ryu
I really pushed for this theme since I thought it would fit Ray-kun so well! It took longer to complete than we expected, but it was finished right on time! Yet, we’re still not done! 😆
Liam
There’s more?
Ray
It’s a special race week for Cadillac; you’ll see a few more videos, our team’s special livery for Las Vegas, a special helmet from me and some art in relation to the videos.
Oscar
GM’s marketing budget doing wonders, huh?
Lando
@everyone Does anyone here want to play a few rounds of blackjack?
Carlos
Who would be dealing? And what’s the wager?
Lando
Yuki’s making vegan cookies so Lewis can join if he wants too. It’s a friendly game. One bet will be worth one chip, but Yuki’s vegan cookie will be worth four chips. Lance said he’d be the dealer.
Ray
Will Lance offer insurance and can we do splits? If we’re allowed to do splits, how many splits can we do?
Lando
Insurance? Splits? Tf are those? All I know is to not go over 21.
Lance
In more advanced blackjack games, a dealer will offer the player insurance – basically, if the player wants to place another bet that the dealer has a blackjack. This usually happens when the dealer has an ace as his face card.
Lance
Splits basically allows you to play with two hands (though you do end up doubling your bet as well and increase your chances of both winning and losing – essentially you double down). You split when the dealer gives you a pair of eights or a pair aces at the start.
Lewis
Why do splits in blackjack?
Lance
A 16 is a weak hand in blackjack, so to increase your odds of winning, you have to split them. The same goes for aces since a pair of aces has a value of 12 (one ace card is worth 11 while the other ace is worth only 1). Only a 9 will get you a blackjack if you play a pair of aces with just one hand.
Lance
As for the split limits, I’ll let you guys do it three times – so you’d have a cap of four hands (the starting bet + three potential splits).
Esteban
I’m in. I also like that we’re not risking any money here.
Mick
Maybe I’ll watch Este and the others first before joining in.
Ray
I’ll play. I want to taste what Yuki baked this time.
Oscar
I’m in too, but only because there’s a lot of math in this.
Lando
Win us those cookies, babe! 😘 But I’ll try to win as much as I can as well!
Zhou
I’ve got nothing better to do, so why not?
Jack
I’ll be there, but I’ll only be a viewer, not a player.
Alex
@Logan Want to cash in on some cookies?
Logan
Yuki made them, so it should be worth our time.
Carlos
I’ll wager my luck as well.
Charles
You won’t be able too.
Carlos
Because of what?
Charles
We have to make a video for today, plus we have a photoshoot after that. In other words, we have a long day ahead of us at Ferrari.
Carlos
Mierde… 😩
Nando
I’ll be the Spanish representative at the blackjack table then.
Nyck
@Max Don’t you want to represent the Dutch?
Max
I have an iRacing session tonight since I brought my sim to my hotel. And even if I didn’t, I’d still recommend you doing it. You’re smarter than I am after all.
Nyck
If you say so.
Nyck
@Liam You’re helping me out. I’m not a gambler by any means.
Liam
Just don’t expect any miracles from me, mate.
Esteban
Maybe we should turn up the prizes so everyone will be more invested in Lando’s blackjack game.
Lance
Like…?
Esteban
We should bet our seats. 😈
Carlos
Is this your attempt to move out of Alpine and onto another team?
Esteban
Maybe…
Ryu
Even then, with our contracts, Esteban-san’s seat bet request wouldn’t work.
Lance
I mean that’s obvious, and even if Este did force this, he’d literally be going up against some of the most powerful corporations on the planet. It won’t hold up in court either since it’s verbatim.
George
@Esteban If you had some magic pixie dust that allowed you to go to any team, which would you pick?
Esteban
Mercedes.
Kimi🇮🇹
😱
George
The French truly are delusional.
Esteban
I’d rather be delusional than be in a team that’s both delusional and dysfunctional.
Mick
You are able to get the car into points from time-to-time, so maybe things are looking up at Alpine. 😇
Yuki
Watch their management f*ck it up again when things are going relatively well for them.
Pierre
Yukino! 😭
| • Las Vegas, Nevada, United States • |
Tuesday| ☀️
a.s.s. (always silly season)
9:01 A.M.MDT
Lewis
@Yuki Thank you for the vegan blackjack cookies last night. They were truly delicious. I’m glad that I saved some of them for today.
Yuki
That means my new vegan super chocolate chip cookie recipe worked! 🤩
Max
Since I wasn’t at Lando’s last night, who won the cookies Yuki baked last night?
Lance
Most of the cookies were won by Oscar, followed up by Lewis and Ray. George, Mick, Nando, Nyck and Logan scored some cookies too. Lando and Zhou only had two, then there’s the Alpine boys…
Charles
What happened?
Nando
They only had one cookie between them, so they had to share. Good thing the others decided to give them some of their cookies.
Lewis
@Kimi🇮🇹 @Ollie Stop by my room if you want to have some of Yuki’s incredible vegan cookies.
Ollie
We will!
Kimi🇮🇹
We’re just somewhere at the desert outside the city looking for some UFOs!
Valtteri
During the day? You won’t find anything there, mate. But you could end up at a restricted zone where the U.S. government really doesn’t want you setting foot on. Their should be obvious signs warning you two, but it’s also possible that some lunatic probably took those home with them as their personal souvenir.
Charles
@Kimi🇮🇹 @Ollie GET BACK TO THE CITY NOW.
Arthur
Listen to my brother you two.
Logan
Yeah, you do not want a heavily armed team of military personnel doing the warning for you.
Kimi🇮🇹
Okay, okay! 😓
Liam
I’m impressed at the fact Kimi and Ollie are literally somewhere in the desert, yet they can send us group chat messages.
Jack
We are in America’s driest city, which is also the largest one in the Mojave Desert.
Daniel
I guess you learn something new every now and then…
Lando
Yo, where were you? You didn’t come to our blackjack game and were MIA all day! Same with you too, @Valtteri!
Valtteri
I was with Tiffany at an actual casino. I’m within my rights of spending time with my partner and not you guys.
Daniel
I was in California, talking with some creatives at an office between Melrose and La Brea in Los Angeles.
Zhou
Ah, is this related to that scripted Hulu F1 comedy show where you’re an executive producer of?
Daniel
😊
Ray
Oh… so uh, Daniel, my bro, my guy, my dude. If your show needs an idol character or one that can sing and play the guitar, don’t be afraid to reach out to me. 🤡
Carlos
Why are you producing a comedy show, Daniel? F1’s already a comedy.
Daniel
Yeah, but if you think about the storylines in DtS, take them and turn the absurdity up to 11, you got yourself a very dramatic show!
Daniel
The blurb goes… “When the heiress to a dynastic racing team is thrust back into the family business, she needs to make some hard choices about the future of the team and her family’s legacy.”
George
Mate, that’s literally Williams during Claire’s time at the helm there.
Zhou
It does makes sense though; Daniel’s Hulu show has its writers from Silicon Valley. If you guys ever saw Silicon Valley, it has absurd problems that are actually real, but to those not in the know like the ones working in San Francisco’s tech scene, it all felt fictional.
Zhou
I think that’s what they’re going for here; Williams dealt with insane problems that seem crazy for the average non-F1 fan. And given this is TV, the writers can incorporate problems in the Dorilton era of Williams too. Heck, maybe even Sauber’s famous 50-second pit stops will be added.
Daniel
^ This. 😌
Valtteri
I know suffering builds character, but there’s only so much suffering a human can take.
Logan
I hope the not-Claire of the show doesn’t hire a not-Logan driver who frequently crashes out.
Alex
Or a not-Alex ruining his car so badly that he had to take not-Logan’s car for a race.
Daniel
No promises though. I know this is a comedy, but if F1 keeps being it’s own show of craziness, that will just give the writers more material to work with.
George
I wonder if Claire is at least aware about this. She was a great boss, and I don’t want her to be totally surprised by this.
Alex
Claire’s smart, so I doubt this isn’t on her radar.
Ryu
@Ray Teja-san stopped by my room and says she wants to meet with us over lunch later.
Ray
Can’t it wait? I want to have a lunch date with my boyfriend today. 😭
Liam
Don’t let me stop you, Ray-Ray. I doubt Ryu will say anything if it didn’t sound important. You’re Cadillac’s golden boy for Vegas after all.
Ray
Let’s move it to tonight then? When I’m free after my training before dinner?
Liam
Sounds like a plan. 😚
Max
Affection, gross.
Charles
You never say that whenever I give you a kiss on the cheek irl.
Max
Because they come from you!
Ryu
Max-san, has your dad ever given you a kiss on the cheek as a sign of his fatherly love for you?
Max
That? Only when I win. Leaving me at a service station? It happened a lot more than you might think.
Ryu
Oh…
Seb
@Max Let’s have some ice cream later at dinner, my treat.
Max
🥰
Mick
@Lewis @Geoege Once Kimi and Ollie get back from their UFO hunting. I’ll make sure they’ll stay occupied so they won’t get too bored.
George
Thanks Mick. We owe you one.
Lewis
I’ll head over to your room in a bit. I want to share the cookies I won from the blackjack game last night to you three.
| • Las Vegas, Nevada, United States • |
Tuesday| 🌆
a.s.s. (always silly season)
6:02 P.M.MDT
Kimi🇮🇹
@Ray YOUR TRAILER IS SO COOL!!
Ollie
I agree! I watched it a few times now too!
Nyck
What trailer?
Ollie
Ray Medina Special Animation – “Fortune Shining Down” // Cadillac Formula One Team – YouTube.com
Zhou
@Ray ^ It’s giving “if HSR’s Aventurine played the guitar more frequently and was a F1 driver.”
Ray
And guess who’s idea is that? 😂
Ryu
It’s so perfect! 😭 I wanted Ray-kun to get this character trailer treatment first since I want to first see how this animation would turned out.
Zhou
It’s cool that you guys incorporated the credits at the beginning.
Seb
And I’m impressed by the lines you and your team made for the trailer; it’s concise yet engaging!
Ray
That trailer wouldn’t have been possible without them, so thanks you two!
Liam
Detailed anime art of my boyfriend’s vtuber persona wearing his special Las Vegas outfit while playing his Fender guitar with playing cards and poker chips are falling around him in a cool way.png
Liam
Ugh, my boyfriend’s vtuber avatar in that outfit and it’s cutout boob window… 🤤
Lando
The fact it’s pretty covered up yet says “slu*t” due to the boob cutout alone is amazing.
Alex
Okay, but the “Fortune Shining Down” animation video goes hard. I also love Ray tossing the chip down from the luxury hotel balcony and it landed on a bottle at a beach, showing the kid version of his anime persona. 🥺
Ray
That part was a nod to my roots in Boracay. Little Ray (whose hair still didn’t have the copper dye streaks) didn’t know Lady Luck would love him and also allow him to be a successful F1 driver.
Zhou
Another part I really liked is the slot machines. The first one in the early part of the trailer that showed Ray’s membership emotes when he hit the jackpot and the last one at the end.
Jack
Is it the one where is said “Ray Medina”, before it had the slick transition to the ‘Cadillac logo step’ animation?
Zhou
Yeah, that was polished af in my eyes.
Yuki
@Ray Does your anime art have a cool name?
Ray
If Ryu’s Onitsuka Miami art is called ‘Fragment of Draconic Fixation,’ mine is called ‘Gilded Revelry.’ Like Ryu’s special Miami art, it’ll be available as limited-edition posters and limited-edition A4-sized acrylic stands.
Ray
Thing is, when compared to Ryu’s Miami limited Onitsuka merch, mine’s more limited. Though I think I did a good trade off for more quality and less quantity.
Ryu
Yeah, Ray-kun’s special Las Vegas merch is a ‘Huddler’ (his penguin mascot) wearing his Las Vegas outfit, a cool varsity jacket, a nifty shirt and an ube purple belted sling bag.
Ray
This link will help you guys look at the stuff Ryu mentioned.
Mick
😔
Esteban
Why?
Mick
I wanted to order Ray’s penguin mascot plush since it’s so cute, but it’s sold out.
Ray
No way, that was just launched three hours ago.
Lance
I mean you’re popular, but scalpers don’t help out either.
Yuki
Oh, the Cadillac livery and his special helmet for our race this weekend looks really cool!
Yuki
Special Cadillac livery and Ray’s special helmet design for Las Vegas – F1.com
Liam
Oh, so the purple is based of the ube ice cream of the halo-halo… and the colors of the cards and gambling chips are based from the other typical ingredients usually used in it.
Jack
Halo-halo?
Ray
It’s a Filipino dessert which translates into ‘mixed.’ I’m fond of this dessert since it’s really different and you can go ham with the ingredients. In the F1 link Yuki sent, the photo of me eating halo-halo is my preferred way of having it; a scoop of strawberry ice cream along the usual ube one, more green jellies and an extra dose of flan.
Nando
@Sev We should have it. The dessert looks like something our kids would genuinely enjoy.
Liam
Luckily for you guys, this is Las Vegas – home to a huge and growing Filipino community. You can definitely find local businesses that can make halo-halo.
Carlos
No wonder Ray keeps referring to Las Vegas as his ‘other’ home race along with Japan on social media…
Jack
Japan I get since he’s a permanent resident there, but why Las Vegas and not Singapore – which is literally closer to the Philippines – as his ‘other home race?’
Ray
The Filipinos in Singapore are quite a bit more buttoned up in terms of decorum. Here, they’re noticeably casual – like they’ll do the job you ask them to do professionally, but in terms interacting with them, they’re definitely more laid back.
| • Las Vegas, Nevada, United States • |
Tuesday| 🌔
a.s.s. (always silly season)
9:44 P.M.MDT
Arthur
@Charles As much as I love Leo, I’m taking him back to your hotel room.
Charles
I was about to message you to bring him back anyway.
Alex
I still think about how Leo and Roscoe have better paddock pass photos than I do…
Nyck
Can’t you ask for a new one?
Alex
It still works well and what I’m complaining about is more of a looks thing. I know my mom giving my paddock pass photo to the technicians was a last minute thing, but I do occasionally wince from time to time when it shows my photo on the screen.
Ryu
When they emailed me about that when I was in Japan, I remember having to go to the arcade closest to my place so I can use the photo booth and send them a good copy of my face.
Ray
I just sent them whatever pic was decent enough on my phone lmao. I eventually chose the one I had; when I was in the Asakusa branch of Fluglen coffee.
Liam
Is that one of your many coffee shops you like going to in Tokyo?
Ray
Yeah, and I have an entire list of them. When I’m in town and someone wants to meet up with me, I take them to one of those places.
Alex
@Ray Send your list please. 🙏🏼 I would like to take Lily to places that are nice whenever we visit Japan.
Ray
I’ll DM you my recommended restaurant list too. It’ll have info you need too since things work differently in Japan.
Ray
Sent!
Alex
Thanks! ☺️
Ryu
I like it here in America 🦅 and Europe 🇪🇺, since breakfast places and cafés actually open around breakfast time. I don’t like how a lot of food places back in Japan open at 11 A.M.
Yuki
^ This!!!
Lewis
Maybe there are places that open earlier than that, but you two just don’t know?
Yuki
There are, but they’re usually crowded by the time you get there since those sort of places aren’t big in numbers. It’s even worse if it’s beside a market or shopping street, where a lot of people will be passing by.
Mick
I wonder if there are any good places like those here in Vegas. But it’s really hard to get around here without a car. 😭
Logan
🇺🇸 American urban planning at its finest. 🦅
Ray
There’s this one place called Mothership Coffee Roasters in the Fergusons Downtown area. They serve food items too, but what caught my eye is there ube cheesecake. When I saw that, I knew I had to put this on my visiting list. Then there’s the fact there are vintage clothing shops and a record store nearby.
Liam
Want a café date there? 😉
Ray
If you want... 😆 But if that doesn’t work, Plan B is Makers & Finders in the Arts District.
Mick
Oh, both of those are around 15 mins away from The Strip though, but I guess you can do worse.
Kimi🇮🇹
@Ray Do you have date spot recommendations for me and my Olliebear? 😅
Ray
Try Founders Coffee, which is south of The Strip. Their menu selection is solid and I think I’d go out of my way to visit them – especially if you’re a non-coffee drinker. For the Plan B option, it’s Café 86, which is 8 minutes away from Founders. This is where Cadillac filmed a video yesterday at since they have tons of ube-related drinks and desserts in their menu.
George
Mate, you sound like you live here.
Alex
It’s probably because of the Filipino community here in Vegas, that Ray earned a buff.
Kimi🇮🇹
I’m just happy that I can now bring my boyfriend somewhere that isn’t part of a military base.
Ollie
I’m looking at the menus of the coffee shops Ray recommended and I already know which one we should go for. 😂
Jack
This reminds me… a barista at a Starbucks gave me his phone number, what should I do?
Nyck
First question is, does he look like an F1 or a motorsports fan in general? If it’s either yes or no, the next question is if he looks crazy or not.
Jack
I don’t think he’s a motorsports fan or crazy. The guy is cute, but I don’t want to act it either since I might attract the wrong sort of attention.
Carlos
Considering you’re rumored for an Alpine seat if either Pierre or Esteban move to another team, it’s best to not rock the boat.
Valtteri
I’m the opposite; whoever Jack dates is none of their business. The only question here is if he can handle a relationship plus all the insinuations and spotlight of being a candidate for a possible seat in F1.
Jack
Yeah, I think I’ll focus on my career first if I had to choose. I want a drive in this sport, and that also means minimizing risks to my F1 chances – risks which also include cute coffee shop boys.
Zhou
Damn, I was so ready for an irl fruity coffee shop romance smh.
Ollie
@Carlos Dino said he’ll be flying in tomorrow. Can I borrow the Ferrari? I want to take him to at least one of the coffee shops Ray recommended so he knows that American food isn’t just KFC and Taco Bell.
Carlos
I’ll tell Fred that I’ll be carpooling with him to the paddock then. But no reckless driving please.
Ollie
Yes, I promise!
